


Beautiful Stranger

by orphan_account



Category: Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Genre: Blushing, English is not my mother language, I believe they went to the same school?, M/M, Meet-Cute, One Shot, Pre-Canon, So sorry for the errors, like a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-18 22:15:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22100671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Ralph has a crush on the red-haired choir boy.
Relationships: Jack Merridew & Ralph, Jack Merridew/Ralph
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	Beautiful Stranger

The choir is having their very last performance at school before the boys are sent away. The war broke out earlier than predicted and parents were desperate to have their children somewhere safe. These boys, luckily, are among the first to leave.

Ralph attempts to distract himself from the fact that he is leaving his father in probably less than two hours, but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t seem to push back his tears. He thinks that he’ll miss all his picture books at home, even that one with scary images of a spider or something; he will never get to read them with Papa again. 

Grow up, he scowled at himself on the inside. It’s true. He’s turning 13 this weekend. In less then two hours, he is going to be taking the plane for the very first time in his life, on the way to his Aunt’s home in the north.

A mixture of excitement and sadness hits him, all too much for a 12-year-old to process. Thankfully, the fair haired boy finally finds the distraction he needs. His gaze falls on the head of the choir, a red haired boy his age. 

At first, Ralph looks at him with jealousy. He himself cannot sing very well; in fact, he doubts if he can sing at all. That choir boy, on the contrary, is singing C-sharp in an angelic voice, with a perfect smile on his face. Ralph finds himself searching his face for some flaws that can give him a good laugh and make his envy abate. 

The red hair has a lot of freckles, for sure, and his face looks...incongruous. But not in a bad way. Ralph’s stare turns from criticizing to fascinated, as he scrutinizes the choir boy with a bit of interest, grateful to his distraction. 

His eyes are crystal blue, pure but fierce; his hair, a red like the bonfire flame, magically looks smooth and wild at the same time; his freckles spreads across his face, giving him an impression of “ugliness without silliness”(the most descriptive phrase Ralph can probably think of in respect to the choir boy). 

Ralph feels his face flushes as the Boy glances at him, clearly aware of his staring. Ralph averts his eyes, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, feeling awkward. The old tears bite the back of his eyes. 

Embarrassment adds to all the emotions and he cannot hold the water back anymore. Drops of warm, salty liquid fall down his cheeks, and he reaches up to wipe them off with the slightest movement possible. 

As soon as he wipes them off, tears start to prickle his eyes again. Ralph squeezes them hard, irritated. He has barely noticed that the hymn is over, and people are leaving their seats. Until...

Until footsteps ring beside him and Ralph looks up to find the choir boy staring at him. Ralph can’t believe that the first thought that comes into his mind is _his cloak is absurd._

“Hey, “ the boy flinches at Ralph’s silence. “You should be leaving, you know. Don’t sit and cry here like a girl. We are on the same flight, aren’t us?”

Ralph blushes again, standing up from his seat. The choir boy’s surely tall. Violently, he shakes off his mental mumble-jumble and pulls at the hem of his shirt. “Thank you. “He says, trying to make himself sound more grown-up and less naive. To be fair, his self-esteem is quite hurt by that “girl” comment. “I’m Ralph Rover. “

Holy hell, what is he even doing? Introducing himself to a stranger in such a stiff way...it’s like a showing-off of his own absurdness. He expects the choir boy’s face to scrunch in confusion. Much to Ralph’s surprise — and relief, the other boy just flashes a smirk at him as if he shared his inner turmoil. 

“Merridew. “ The red-haired boy says with much pride.

“Isn’t that too ancient for a first name?” Ralph teases him, and the tip of Merridew’s ears turns as red as his hair.

“Jack. “He mumbles. “Jack Merridew.”

Ralph smiles. “Nice to meet you, Jack.” His tone becomes much more serious, managing a formal greeting. 

Jack pretends to be mildly angered by the direct address of his first name, but his non-suppressing smile betrays him. “Nice to meet you too, Ralph.”

**Author's Note:**

> Criticisms are welcomed.  
> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!


End file.
